Resilient heel



y F; NERGER.

RESILIENT HEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-l1 |9l9.

1,376,965; r ratenfd Mays, 1921.

Myx@

appear hereina FREDERICK NERGER, '0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patient.

:snsILIENr HEEL.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Applicationled March 1, 1919. Serial No. 280,085.

To all t may conce-f w Be it known that I, FREDERICK NERGER, a

citizen Yof thevUnited States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of -ery thereof and the heel of the shoe in connection with which the-same is employed. A further object is the production of a resilient heel which is capable of manufacture at a low (10st,: and which may be readily and easily applied gr use. 'Other objects lwill The invention will be best understood by reference to lthe accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which*- Figure l is a'perspective view of a resilient heel embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the heel;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the heel applied to a shoe, a fragment only of the latter being shown; 1

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through a shoe and a heel embodying the invention, the arrangement here shown, disclosing the position of the heel just prior to securing the same in position; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the action of the heel when the lateral edges thereof are depressed to flatten the heel.

The preferred form of construction, as illustrated in the drawings, comprises a resilient body 6 of rubber or other suitable resilient material adapted for use in the forming of a resilient heel.

The heel 6 is molded into normally curved formation and is applied to the heel of the shoe-A in connection with which the same. 'is employed by means of nails or other suitable fastening devices 7 adapted to pass through openings or sockets 8 formed` in the heel for the reception thereof. At the bases of the openings or sockets 8 are provided reinforcing perforated metallic plates or washers 9 which are molded in position in the heel and against which the heads of the Fics. f

nails or securing' devices are adapted to engage, as will be readily understood.

The curvature of the heel body 6 is, nor' ,mally, in but one direction, this direction being transversely of the heel body and being cylindrical in nature,-`that is, the heel body is formed or molded as though the same were but a section of a cylindrical tube, the transverse curvature thereof at any point being the same and a longitudinal section taken therethrough at any point being straight and no-n-curving. The curvature of the heel body is comparatively great, the same being preferably substantially 120 degrees. i

With a heel body of this formation, it has been found, upon flattening of the samer against a fiat surface, such as illustrated in Fig. 5, where the heel body has been flattened through the pressure of the thumbs engaging against the opposite longitudinal edges of the heel, that the end portions 11 and 12 of the heel are caused to iexuplwardly. This upward fiexing of the ends of the heel insures close engagement thereof scribed, positively insures effective engage- Awith the adjacent edge portions of the shoe,

ment of the lateral edges 10 thereof with the shoe inasmuch as the heel, when Hattened, is distorted from its normal curved condition and the resiliency of the heel in its effort to return to its curved condition causes these edges 10 to press very seeurelyagainst the *sides of the shoe.

With resilient heels of the formation now generally in use, the topA of the heel is of a sort of dished formation',-that is, the same is curved or sloped in all directions toward the center of the heel so as to form a depressed upper heel surface. l`With this arrangement, however, iiattening of the heel,

in applying'same, causes expansion ofthe upper edge' thereof. This being so, inthe conventional type of heel, the curvature or degree of dishing of the heel is restricted,

since if the dishing or concavity is too great,

periphery ofthe heel and the shoe, inasmuch as the restriction as to the degree of per- -missible curvature of the heel, affects 'die rectly the pressure or tension of the heel relied upon to maintain this close contact.

v With applicants construction, however, wherein the heel body is curved in but one direction, this expansion of the upper edge of the heel in the flattening; of the latter is eliminated with the result that the heel may be curved to any extent desired, thus making it possible to obtain practically any pressure or tension desired to insure the edge Contact between the lateral portions of the resilient heel and the shoe to which the heel is applied. It is the lateral portions of the resilient heel which are most important, since it has been found that it is these portions of the heel periphery which usually do not maintain their close contact with the shoe heel, and with applicants construction close contact at these points is positively insured and without any liability of rupturing or cracking of the heel in flattening the same durin application.

As fore1nentioned,'through the curved formation employed in applicants construction, the front and rear end portions ll and 12` are given a slight upward tendency in .mantain these portions also in close contact with the shoe heel. With the latter portions fof theI heel, however, the maintenance of close contact through the inherent resiliency of heel is not so important, inasmuch as the front portion of the heel is under the shoe where tl'fe same is not seen, and the rear portion thereof is that which is continually receiving the brunt of the wear and pressure and hence is, therefore, 'continually being pounded or pressed into close contact with the shoe heel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by. Letters Patent is: n

A rubber heel having its upper face a circular cylindrical surface, the axis of which extends from front to rear, all vertical transverse sections forming arcuate intersections with said surface, said arcuate intersections being of equal radii, all vertical fore and aft sections forming rectilinear parallel intersections with said surface, the outline of the heel being shaped to conform to the outline of the adjacent portion of the shoe.

In witness whereof l have hereunto sub scribed my name.

REDERCK NERGER. 

